‘Hack-a-Dwight’ strategy leads to Blazers comeback

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When asked if the Portland Trail Blazers would look to the “Hack-a-Dwight” tactic in their first round playoff series against the Rockets, coach Terry Stotts joked, “First possession, we are doing it.”

It didn’t come in the first possession, or any time near it, but when the Trail Blazers needed a comeback in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, the fouling began.

The Rockets led by 10 with 4:30 to play when the Blazers started fouling him. He would go 2-of-6 in the next two minutes while Portland went on an 11-0 run to come back and eventually send the game into overtime.

Howard finished 9-of-17 for the game.

“I just have to go up there and be confident and knock those free throws down,” Howard said. “I practice on it enough. I just have to make them.”

“That wasn’t the reason they won the game,” he continued. “I don’t think we valued a lot of the possessions.”

In the four regular season games the Rockets and Blazers played, Howard went 26-of-40 (65 percent) from the foul line. He is averaging 57.4 percent on free throws this season. Last year, when Howard played for the Lakers, his free throw percentage against Portland was also high. He hit 61 percent of his free throws against the Trail Blazers last year and shot 49 percent on the season.